Rep. Brian Mast Being Considered As Next Veterans Affairs Secretary

Trump's consideration of the well-regarded veteran and Congressman Brian Mast for the next VA secretary may play well in certain circles, but it raises more questions about the President's overall ability to select qualified candidates for the top slot at the second largest cabinet agency in the government.

Rep. Brian Mast of Flordia is on the list of President Donald Trump’s candidates for the position of Veterans Affairs Secretary. The position has been left vacant since the sudden firing of David Shulkin on March 28, 2018.

The 37-year-old Congressman was wounded during a military deployment to Afghanistan in 2010. A blast from an IED resulted in Mast having both of his legs and one finger amputated. He now walks using dual prosthetics.

Follow his service, Mast was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 has voted in support of most of President Trump’s policies. Since his election to Congress, Mast became the first lawmaker to open up an office in the West Palm Beach VA in order to have closer contact with fellow veterans.

Remember Ronnie Jackson?

The deliberations on the Secretary of Veterans Affairs position reopened as President Trump’s original candidate for the position, Ronny Jackson, withdrew his nomination in late April. Jackson, a military doctor and the president’s personal physician, withdrew his nomination after allegations began circulating of Jackson drinking on the job and handing out prescriptions to powerful painkillers in an inappropriate manner.

Even before that information surfaced, many lawmakers were skeptical of his ability to lead a vast organization such as the VA because Jackson had never run a large organization in the past.

The President’s consideration of Mast for the role seems to reiterate the same shortcoming experienced by Jackson accept the former has even less management experience.

VA Longtime Problems

The VA is facing many pressing problems within its organization that demand immediate attention. One of the biggest problems is a restructuring of its electronic database of medical records that will likely cost multi-billion dollars. Members of Congress are concerned that such a drastic revamp will cost too much, and that the money will be wasted while the VA already faces a budget shortfall.

In order to make up for the budget shortfall and to fulfill President Trump’s promise to expand private care for veterans, the House is planning to vote on a bill that will allow veterans to see doctors outside of the VA system.

Other possible candidates to lead the VA include the current acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie who also served as a Pentagon undersecretary for personnel and readiness, and another candidate is Samuel Spagnolo who is the current president of the National Association of Veterans Affairs Physicians and Dentists.

The VA is currently speculating that a permanent VA secretary will not be in place for another three months as all the candidates for the position are being considered.

My Take On Brian Mast Consideration

Personally, I like Mast and his choice to have an office at a VA facility to help ensure veterans get a fair shake. I also like that he forced VA to put up a photo of the President.

Mast would be one of the youngest secretaries in history. He would likely also have the least amount of experience of any secretary in history. On the back of the Jackson foible, I am disappointed Trump would let his team float another name of someone even less experienced than Jackson.

This leads me to wonder whether the President is seeking a cheerleader instead of a proven leader to manage the fate of veterans relying on the agency for all their healthcare and financial benefits.

Strange days.

Does President Trump take his job of vetting and selecting the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs seriously?

ABOUT FOUNDER
Benjamin Krause is a lawyer, investigative reporter and award-winning veterans advocate. He is author of the guide Voc Rehab Survival Guide for Veterans and chief editor of DisabledVeterans.org.
He received his Bachelors from Northwestern University and Law Degree from the University of Minnesota, both using VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment.
He is also featured regularly in national publications as an authority on Department of Veterans Affairs policy such as Bloomberg News, Foreign Policy Magazine, Washington Times, Fox News, CBS, NBC, Star Tribune and more.
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14 COMMENTS

In my opinion,
The VA needs someone who will come in, use existing rules, regulations and polices to shake up the criminals running it now!
Once that happens, those “in charge of their little fiefdoms”, will realize their time is short!
Of course, this could be easily remedied by shutting down the VA and allowing vets to use outside healthcare!
The way things are going, could this have been President Trump’s agenda all along?

Trump’s nor the governments agenda for us is high on their lists of agendas or high priority to fix once and for all time. He has shown many times over who and what his agendas and priorities are and it’s not us. IMHO he and his clique has failed and lied big time. A huge disappointment to me.

Elf. Any more I don’t think closing the VA trash down will help any. I just spent another full day on the phone trying to find a general practitioners, family MD, etc. Not happening. No geriatric doctor to be found locally and not on any hospital’s referral lists. Damn sad for a county this size. But the colleges keep adding on training centers for their use and others claimed to benefit all human needs or in others words to see to it those dealing with ‘human rights issues’ gets theirs to hell with us, again.

One of those claimed by VA staff (IU) they these jokers are top of the list at controlling all our VA and civy health care in Indiana. They are big medicine and go to for the local VA community and newbie medical kiddies who aren’t in the field to help the sick and all that good sounding jazz. They just love the ego, powers and prestige. Sure enough of them have shown that over the years. Upset the long list of any of them… and “never find health care in Indiana again.” I reckon so.

Out of the countless MDs called today some have been retired and not put on the don’t bother to call list. Others state they don’t take new patients even though they are supposed to to be on the referral list. Others reported right of the bat they do not deal with patients with chronic pain issues and absolutely do not prescribe pain meds in any situation. So how they can properly treat their patients is beyond me. Yet the local media keeps claiming there is a pandemic of prescriptions being written, oddly. But I think we know what this war on pain meds is all about.

Others called that should be open were not, but closed, and no info about them to be found online. Just told at the hospital ‘well they should be open.” A few more reported they ‘may not’ take Medicare and would have to charge cash for some tests they may demand to be run on me/us. Go figure.

Up signing release forms for a new pain MD I found and may not give pain meds, encountered some of the hags that kept calling me and running me off. Pleasant enough but their name tags were stuffed in their shirts (8 o f them) and would not answer some questions like, why. Signed the papers and told by them their records department may take two to four weeks to get the/my files faxed to the new MD I want to see and supposedly a pain specialist and anesthesiologist.

Two local MD offices that said they absolutely don’t write pain scripts referred me to psychologist since I was a vet, left the VA care systems, and ‘allegedly’ deal with chronic pain issues. Nice, triaged over the phone by fill in desk clerks in both. More odd crap to deal with. I guess we aren’t even supposed to mention pain in Indiana any more. And yes, from all the phone calls and inquiring I’ve done I am waiting for the local SWAT teams to rush the house any day now. I have definitely broken the MD shopping laws in place. Back in the USSR boys.

Here’s another kicker in the ass. Ran into a couple of guys I was in group with years ago. There has been no change in their pain meds at all, still at the lousy CBOC here tolerating their crap and happy with it. They also said they get a months worth mailed to them and just have to report to the Indy VA pain clinic quarterly with few blood tests. Totally different from what others of us at the ‘new Indy pain clinic” were told and treated. I asked them why they thought that is. My fault for switching care from the CBOC to the Indy hospital then ending up in a bad clinic. Plus making the all female staff at the CBOC look bad/offended by such actions one said. Both said you just can’t complain, do what they say, take what they tell you take and appease them. I asked if they were forced to take head meds… one said yes the other no. So the VA will do what it wants to people just like their staff and contractors do. The socialist styled health care that is supposed to be the same and good for all has failed miserably. So much for the communist fascist way of life.

How cool, record profits by those in the med fields while pushing out more lies and dope commercials. “https://www.ibj.com/articles/68760-lilly-rolls-out-its-first-ever-tv-campaign-for-a-cancer-drug?utm_source=ibj-health-care-reform&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=2018-05-14”

I don’t DISlike him but he’s too young.I remember when I was that age, I had other useless priorities in mind. I’d change most decisions I made at that age. Your right Ben about the cheerleader thing. We need someone who has had a rough go at life’s up’s and down’s for the last 60 some odd years to make decisions that affect people’s lives. Sorry Mast, but we need someone with a good heart, common sense, and a big ass shield to protect against all the deception, lies’s and bullschit.

For these **Three Months**,while waiting for a confirmation of VA Sec., how about mandating every self-serving asshole politician is required to utilize the VAMC within their own States and…not more than 40 miles as a crow flies from their hometown swamp origins? (Special, extra-exceptions to congress critter 40 mile rule as a crow flies will be processed in 9 months, just like Veterans…)
The insertion of self-serving assholes is a bit like inserting a suppository to reduce swelling of pesky hemorrhoids, with the VA being the hemorrhoids plaguing Veterans at the VA, which is the assholes we are receiving world cl-ass healthcare from.

Do they make systemic mess, building-sized suppositories because I may be onto something…?!

“A former claims examiner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been charged with allegedly threatening an Army chaplain who he allegedly accused of getting him fired, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

“Morgan Fallon, 37, of Buffalo, was arrested and charged Thursday in U.S. District Court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.”

“The charge, transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure the person of another, carries a maximum five-year prison sentence if Fallon is convicted, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Fallon was terminated May 4 from Veterans Affairs, in part for his alleged interaction with an active-duty commissioned Army captain, assigned as a chaplain in Louisiana.”

“The chaplain submitted a claim to Veterans Affairs for reimbursement of expenses related to religious education but in November the claim was denied by letter, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.”

“The chaplain appealed the denial and complained about the unprofessional nature of the denial letter, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Fallon was given materials that explained the grounds for his termination, including the chaplain’s complaint.”

“On May 4, the chaplain said he received an allegedly threatening telephone call from Fallon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.”

“The chaplain went to military police, who directed the chaplain to allow a follow-up call from Fallon, in which he allegedly identified himself by name, to go directly to voicemail, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.”

“Fallon appeared Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and was held without bail, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.”
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(I’ve left the few comments on!)

365800332 days ago “He would become a hero in the navy.”

36725063365800331 day ago “Why exactly is that?”
Reply

366932422 days ago “The real story is that the VA actually fired someone! And for simply writing a denial letter that was “unprofessional”? There has to be more to this that hasn’t been reported.”

John Martin366932422 days ago “He may have been “Fired” but did they stop paying him? That is the question….”
Reply

Does anyone finds it really odd that Brian Mast is in a short showing off his double amputee legs, with an group of other veterans wearing suit pants ???
1. Too young and immature.
2. A disable veteran show-boater, who will probably be more concern with his image than other veteran issues.
3. As a old retired Navy Corpsman (Blue/Green side & SAR with Teams) I know a room full of amputees veterans who won`t take a picture like he did unless they`re outside in shorts in the summer with family,friends or an event. No no does that shit !!! It like the few vets I meet in the DC area, who attitude is “I`m more a vet than you are,cause I lost a limb” Get over yourself f#%ktard. We all served.

You are spot on and I too, know amputee veterans and having seen “how they became” amputees, I am not encouraged by a disabled veteran who flaunts his “disability” as a reason to be nominated as VA Secretary,l as if he’ll make any difference.
I will support a former ENLISTED Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine and until that happens, to the VA I say GO DIRECTLY TO HELL

Personally I believe that the fact that he is a politician should disqualify him.

Also I believe that this is not Trump’s first Rodeo and that currently the man he wants running the Department of Veterans Affairs is running it. With Robert Wilkie as acting Sec Trump not only has more control over the department but he also has a man running it that did not go through the Conformation process and have to sell his soul by going on record to support Senators and congressman’s pet pork projects like Shulkin did.

We will soon be finding out what kind of Sec Wilkie will make in the long term when he discloses his decision on the Cerner deal. The one that is destined to fail badly and is nothing more than a major rip off as it is being pushed on all kinds of Government programs besides the Military and Veterans Affairs.

From a prior post on Cerner

Scathing internal Pentagon report states that Cerner’s mew MHS Genesis system isn’t “operationally suitable”. The April 30 Operational Test and Evaluation report recommends that the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment delay further roll-outs, improve training and focus on fixing the highest priority defects that could present serious risks to patients.

A decision to restart the program likely wouldn’t come until the end of calendar 2018.

Source:

“Report: DOD’s new health record system isn’t suitable for use”
By Adam Mazmanian
Federal Computer Week (FCW)
May 11, 2018

“MHS GENESIS is not operationally suitable. Users rated system usability as “not acceptable” and their ratings decreased between Go-Live and IOT&E, indicating, contrary to expectations, that more experience with the system did not improve usability. Training and system documentation were insufficient to overcome usability problems and sustain operations.

West Palm Beach VA? So any reports about positive changes or better support for the vets down that way? Isn’t that a wealthy section of Florida? What has his office done for the good? Reports?

More time is flying by and not a mention from those in DC about our death or suicide rates. No feedback about our local issues, of corruption, ruined health care thanks to all the new laws and police state. While Trumpster and Congress have MDs around them 24 hours a day, no worries for them. The bastards all.

Mast? Young. Remember what Congressman Buck claims about entering the corrupt DC machine. Must be well to do in many ways just to play the politic game. Yes, a show-man. Times a wasting and something needs to be done but I don’t see it happening. Just more show, propaganda, boasting, lip-service, no action. Seems from the top down to the scum-sucking locals nobody gives a damn about health care issues in or out of the VA. Get killed off or left to die in a Indiana hospital or VA and no one would know the difference or ever hear about anything negative.

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$21 trillion lost: Largest theft in history buried under guise of US national security – Lee Camp
Published time: 14 May, 2018 12:18

“Skidmore and Catherine Austin Fitts did more digging and conducted a search of government websites. They found similar reports dating back to 1998. These documents indicate $21 trillion in unsupported adjustments that had been reported for the DoD and Housing and Urban Development for the years 1998 -2015.

“If you make 40,000 USD a year, how long would it take you to make one trillion dollars? It would take you 25 million years, which sounds like a long time, but once you get past the ten million mark, it really flies by,” Camp noted.

As Forbes magazine pointed out, after Mark Skidmore began inquiring about the report, the Office of the Inspector General’s webpage was mysteriously taken down.

Given that the entire army budget in fiscal year 2015 was $122 billion, unsupported adjustments were 54 times the level of spending authorized by Congress, the magazine said. The Inspector General report indicated that unsupported adjustments were the result of the Defense Department’s “failure to correct system deficiencies”.”

“Military veterans are responsible for safeguarding our country, and as such, they are granted comprehensive health care by the Department of Veteran Affairs. In the early ‘90s, the death rate at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Northampton, Massachusetts, seemed to surge.

Kristen Gilbert was the nurse on duty for so many of the fatalities that her co-workers jokingly nicknamed her “The Angel Of Death.” Their laughter turned to horror when they released the casualties were no accident. Gilbert was a serial murderer.

Oxygen will dive into the case of Kristen Gilbert during its two-night special, “Snapped Notorious: Prescription for Death,” airing Sunday, May 13 at 6/5c.”

“Around roughly the same time, the Northampton VAMC was experiencing an increase in the number of fatal heart attacks. They almost all occurred in Ward C, the area where Gilbert worked. According to The Boston Globe, prosecutors would later determine that in the seven years she worked at the hospital, Gilbert had been on duty for almost half of the 350 deaths that occurred in Ward C, a coincidence that was almost statistically impossible.”

I don’t have any confidence anything helpful to veterans will ever happen, America, including Congress don’t really care for veterans. Just on mem day, or vets day. Eating well and getting plenty of exercise and staying away from VHA’s, (they murder veterans there, ie pineville la) I will live a longer and happier life.

Ben, are you keeping an eye on the case against fred harris for the death of charles johnson who the va initially cleared as an accident four years ago but the coroner said johnson died of blunt force trauma to the head and somebody had killed him. Just got another court date. Va trying to white wash this by letting it just fade away, can you get updates?